Things are definitely looking better and better for me when it comes to finding sources of reliable caffeine here in Stresa. You may recall my early struggles and failures (read here). And you may already know that I totally caved last winter and now have an American-style drip coffee machine here, and bring several bags of coffee with me each time I come (read here). But now, there's a new weapon in my coffee survival arsenal. (con't ... )

Leave it to my great friend Jane, New Yorker and as much of a caffeine addict as I, to come up with a brilliant idea (one of those now-why-didn't-I-think-of-that ideas). Jane was visiting here in Stresa, and on our very first stop in one of the caffe bars Jane wondered, because she too already had felt the effects of the small amount of caffeine, she wondered aloud, why can't we have a cappucino, but with double the espresso? Basically a double espresso capuccino. We asked, and lo and behold, we can! We've tried this so far at Caffe Bolongaro and at Gigi Bar. The Gigi bar one, shown above, was excellent. Actually, by adding the second shot, we found the taste to be more to our liking; a better balance of coffee and milk. The color is also a bit richer, deeper. Both places sprinkled a dash of cocoa on top, which doesn't hurt either. 

So, un capuccino con doppio caffe. Or a double espresso capuccino. However you ask for it, this is another good way take coffee. And since apparently it's still considered a legit Italian coffee; to me it seems the perfect compromise, bridging the caffeine gap very well.